Northern Michigan University, located in Marquette, Michigan, is a dynamic four-year, public, comprehensive university that has grown its reputation based on its award-winning leadership programs, cutting-edge technology initiatives and nationally recognized academic programs. Northern has a population of about 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

Ask a few Northern students what drew them to our university and you will get a variety of answers. That's because there is no single thing that make students want to go to Northern; it is ALL the things that we do here. Northern is big enough to offer a wide variety of academic programs but is also small enough that every time you walk across campus, you'll probably wave "hi" to someone you know.

Curiosity is the raw ingredient of knowledge. It causes us to ask questions, to seek answers, to learn. At Northern Michigan University, natural curiosity and intellectual challenge meet in stimulating classes grounded in the liberal arts. So wherever your curiosity leads you, you can count on the support you need to take the next step, ask the next question, propose the next hypothesis.

Marquette, home of Northern Michigan University, was ranked as one of the safest college towns in America, according to The SafeWise Report. Northern takes pride in having a campus that is caring, inclusive and ready to take action in light of safety concerns. Northern encourages students, employees and visitors to make themselves familiar with the resources and services available for assistance in matters of safety.

The mission of the Northern Michigan University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Recreational Sports and the United States Olympic Training Site is to create an environment that promotes academic excellence, interpersonal growth and social development; embraces diversity; teaches lifetime leisure skills; fosters spirit and tradition; and builds a lifelong connection to NMU.

Yes, you'll attend your classes, but what else will you be doing as a student at Northern? There's so much stuff to choose from. There's a student organization or club – almost 300 at last count-- for just about every interest. If you're into investigating the paranormal, anime or improv comedy, there's a group. Cheer on your fellow Wildcats at a hockey game or volleyball match. Join a competitive club sport or an intramural team. The sky is the limit.

Action Projects

For about 15 years ending in 2018, Northern Michigan University participated in the HLC AQIP Pathway for accreditation. The university completed Action Projects to continuously improve. Although AQIP is no longer an accreditation pathway offered by HLC and, therefore, NMU no longer completes AQIP projects, continuous improvement remains essential to the institution. Information on this webpage relates to the historical use of AQIP projects to structure NMU's ongoing continuous quality improvement work.

What were Action Projects? Action Projects were concrete improvement projects that provided the Higher Learning Commission with evidence that AQIP institutions were seriously committed to continuous improvement. According to AQIP, Action Projects showed that shared efforts could result in positive change for the university. While projects were often thought of with respect to their resultant product, equally important were refining processes. All AQIP institutions were required to have at least three Action Projects active and underway at all times.

Action Project Timelines. Action Projects did not have a set timeline – they took 6 weeks, 6 months, or 2 years. The projects permitted institutions to learn how to identify and solve problems quickly.